Smart Document Capture Based on Estimated Scanned-Image Quality

1. A computer-implemented method for providing real-time feedback of an estimated quality of a captured final image, the method comprising: Obtaining, by a portable image capture device, a preliminary image of a document; Calculating, by the at least one computing device, a quality score of the preliminary image; In response to the quality score of the preliminary image exceeding a threshold quality value, taking a first action comprising capturing a final image; and in response to the quality score of the preliminary image not exceeding the threshold quality value, providing feedback to adjust a distance of the portable image capture device from the document being imaged by portable image capture device, Wherein the quality score comprises a framing score, a sharpness score, and a depth variation between the document and a camera that obtains the preliminary image of the document, Wherein the framing score is calculated by measuring a size of a quiet margin in a plurality of zones by using a pixel based technique and a character location technique, and Wherein the sharpness score is calculated in at least one of a vertical and a horizontal direction.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the calculating comprises calculating, by the at least one computing device, a size of a quiet margin comprising a blank area along an edge of the preliminary image; and wherein the framing score exceeds the threshold quality value when the quiet margin size is greater than or equal to a minimum margin size and the quiet margin size is not less than or equal to a maximum margin size.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the size of the quiet margin of the edge of the preliminary image is calculated, by the at least one computing device, based on pixel values in an edge zone of the preliminary image.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the size of the quiet margin of the edge of the preliminary image is calculated, by the at least one computing device, using the character location technique to locate character-size connected components along the edge zone of the preliminary image.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising: in response to the sharpness score of the preliminary image exceeding a threshold sharpness value, taking a second action; and in response to both the framing score of the preliminary image exceeding the threshold framing value and the sharpness score of the preliminary image exceeding the threshold sharpness value, taking a third action.

6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising, in response to the quality score of the preliminary image not exceeding a threshold quality value obtaining, a new preliminary image and calculating a quality score of the new preliminary image.

7. The method according to claim 6 , further comprising at least one of: continuously obtaining a plurality of final images until a quality score of one of the plurality of final images exceeds the threshold quality value; obtaining the plurality of final images and selecting as the captured final image the final image having the highest quality score; and detecting motion of an image capture device during the obtaining of the preliminary image, and providing movement feedback when the motion exceeds a movement threshold.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored therein executable instructions for providing real-time feedback of an estimated quality of a captured final image, the instructions comprising: Obtaining, by a portable image capture device, a preliminary image of a document; Calculating a quality score of the preliminary image; in response to the quality score of the preliminary image exceeding a threshold quality value taking a first action comprising capturing a final image; and in response to the quality score of the preliminary image not exceeding the threshold quality value, providing feedback to adjust a distance of the portable image capture device from the document being imaged by portable image capture device, Wherein the quality score comprises a framing score, a sharpness score and a depth variation between the document and a camera that obtains the preliminary image of the document, Wherein the framing score is calculated by measuring a size of a quiet margin in a plurality of zones by using a pixel based technique and a character location technique, and Wherein the sharpness score is calculated in at least one of a vertical and a horizontal direction.

9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 8 , wherein the calculating comprises calculating a size of a quiet margin comprising a blank area along an edge of the preliminary image; and wherein the framing score exceeds the threshold framing value when the quiet margin size is greater than or equal to a minimum margin size and the quiet margin size is not less than or equal to a maximum margin size.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9 , wherein the size of the quiet margin of the edge of the preliminary image is calculated based on pixel values in an edge zone of the preliminary image.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 9 , wherein the size of the quiet margin of the edge of the preliminary image is calculated using the character location technique to locate character-size connected components along the edge zone of the preliminary image.

12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 8 , further comprising: in response to the sharpness score of the preliminary image exceeding a threshold sharpness value, taking a second action; and in response to both the framing score of the preliminary image exceeding the threshold framing value and the sharpness score of the preliminary image exceeding the threshold sharpness value, taking a third action.

13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 8 , further comprising, in response to the quality score of the preliminary image not exceeding a threshold quality value, obtaining a new preliminary image and calculating a quality score of the new preliminary image.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 13 , further comprising at least one of: continuously obtaining a plurality of final images until a quality score of one of the plurality of final images exceeds the threshold quality value; obtaining the plurality of final images and selecting as the captured final image the final image having the highest quality score; and detecting motion of an image capture device during the obtaining of the preliminary image, and providing movement feedback when the motion exceeds a movement threshold.

15. An apparatus for providing real-time feedback of an estimated quality of a captured final image, the apparatus comprising: An image obtaining device that obtains a preliminary image of a document; A quality analyzer that calculates a quality score of the preliminary image; and a controller that takes a first action in response to the quality score of the preliminary image exceeding a threshold quality value, and that provides feedback to adjust a distance of the image obtaining device from the document being imaged in response to the quality score of the preliminary image not exceeding the threshold quality value, Wherein the first action comprises causing the image obtaining device to obtain the final image, and Wherein the quality analyzer comprises a framing analyzer that calculates a framing score and a sharpness analyzer that calculates sharpness score of the preliminary image, Wherein the quality analyzer determines depth variation between the document and the image obtaining device that obtains the preliminary image of the document based on the framing score and the sharpness score, Wherein the framing analyzer that calculates the framing score by measuring a size of a quiet margin in a plurality of zones by using a pixel based technique and a character location technique, and Wherein the sharpness analyzer calculates the sharpness score in at least one of a vertical and a horizontal direction.

16. The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein the framing analyzer calculates the framing score of the preliminary image by calculating a size of a quiet margin comprising a blank area along an edge of the preliminary image; and wherein controller determines the framing score exceeds the threshold framing value when the quiet margin size is greater than or equal to a minimum margin size and the quiet margin size is not less than or equal to a maximum margin size.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the size of the quiet margin of the edge of the preliminary image is calculated, by the controller, based on pixel values in the edge zone of the preliminary image.

18. The apparatus according to claim 16 , wherein the size of the quiet margin of the edge of the preliminary image is calculated, by the controller, using the character location technique to locate character-size connected components along the edge zone of the preliminary image.

19. The apparatus according to claim 15 , further comprising: wherein the controller takes a second action in response to the sharpness score of the preliminary image exceeding a threshold sharpness value, and wherein the controller takes a third action in response to both the framing score of the preliminary image exceeding the threshold framing value and the sharpness score of the preliminary image exceeding the threshold sharpness value.

20. The apparatus according to claim 15 , wherein, in response to the quality score of the preliminary image not exceeding a threshold quality value, the controller controls the image obtaining device to obtain a new preliminary image and the controller controls the quality analyzer to calculate a quality score of the new preliminary image.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20 , further comprising at least one of: the controller controls the image obtaining device to continuously obtain a plurality of final images until a quality score of one of the plurality of final images exceeds the threshold quality value; the controller controls the image obtaining device to obtain the plurality of final images and selecting as the captured final image the final image having the highest quality score; and a motion detector that detects motion of an image capture device during obtaining of the preliminary image, and the controller provides movement feedback when the motion exceeds a movement threshold.